You're Gonna Burn Before You're Mellow
by Nicole Lo
Summary: Hate. Dawn comes to Horizon with a big secret covered up by her hate for white people. She refuses to trust them again even when one of them saves her life. How long until Dawn realizes that hate won't heal her pain?
1. I Miss You Much

You're Gonna Burn Before You're Mellow  
  
New Characters:  
  
Dawn Beach- Native American, 16 years old, lived on a reservation before coming to Horizon, shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, holds great hatred towards while people, is sent to Horizon for stealing, anger management, and vandalizing private property, etc.  
  
Jasper Wolf- Caucasian, 17 years old, one of Scott's old friends, from California, is at Horizon for drug abuse and he nearly killed someone when he was drunk and driving, extremely curly brownish blonde hair, hazel eyes that change to green  
  
Chapter One: I Miss You Much  
  
~Dawn~  
  
"Come on," my grandmother, Me-me, says as she escorts me to the school Horizon. I don't understand why I can't just go home. She knows that I'll runaway and be gone before any of them realizes what has happened. She knows that.  
  
"You don't have to send me here. The world can't kick me down more than it already has." I explain. She firmly shakes her head, indicating that her mind was set. "What about Jimmy?" I continue, trying to make her see that this wasn't necessary.  
  
"You had two choices; come here or have them take you away. I don't want them to take you away. Maybe these people here can help you move past your hate. You can't spend all your life hating them Dawn. I want you to be happy and …" Her voice trails off as she almost falls. I catch her arm.  
  
"Me-me. It's okay." I whisper to her as she regains her balance and we continue walking in silence. As we approach the door, a tall white guy introduces herself, as well as some blonde lady. I should've known that this shit-hole was run by them. Who the hell were they anyway, thinking that they could save the whole world? What makes them think they're so self- righteous?  
  
"So, it says here that you're here for vandalism and theft. Is that right?" Peter asks me as I continue to ignore him. I didn't want to here anymore of this.  
  
"Yes. That's right." Me-me answers for me as I yawn and look up at the ceiling. These people were helping me out already.  
  
"I have to go Dawn." Me-me whispers to me after a long ass session of questions and answers. "Try to change. Just try for me." She murmurs giving me a hug.  
  
"Don't." I plead, giving her my most sincere, yet sad, look. She couldn't leave me here with all these murders and hypocrites … these white people. They had destroyed my family and many others … I could never forgive them. Ever.  
  
"I must go." She whispers again, after I follow her back the rental car. She takes my son, Jimmy from Thalia, and tries to buckle him in.  
  
Poor thing. He has no idea what was going to happen. He has no idea that I'll probably never see him again. I rush to the other side of the car and open the door, as I am greeted with his innocent little face. "Jimmy, honey." I begin quietly.  
  
"What?" He asks with a confused look.  
  
"I've got to stay here."  
  
"Why? Why are you staying mommy? Are you mad at me?" He inquires innocently.  
  
"No, I'm not mad." I start, taking his small hand in mine. "I've got to stay here to make things better." I lie. He wouldn't understand the truth. "We must be strong for Me-me, but you can come and visit me as much as you like. I'll be here." I tell him with a small smile. I pull Jimmy in for a hug. I lightly kiss his thick brown hair and look into his blue eyes.  
  
"I love you mommy."  
  
"I love you too." I choke out, trying not to show him how sad I truly was. He holds my hand. Slowly, I let go, blocking out his protests and pleads to take him with me. Thalia and Me-me both give me one last hug before driving off into the distance, leaving me alone. All alone again. ~ 


	2. I'm Not Afraid to Show You How I Feel

Chapter Two: I'm Not Afraid to Show You How I Feel  
  
LATER THAT DAY  
  
~Dawn~  
  
"This is going to be your room for the duration of your stay." Sophie tells me while directing me to the only empty bunk. "You'll have someone to show you around in a few. When you're done packing, come to the front area." She pauses. "You do know where that is, don't you?" I nod in response.  
  
MEANWHILE  
  
~Jasper~  
  
"Jonathan. I can't believe that you allowed all this to happen." My mother shouts for the third time that morning. "If you had been responsible and watched out for you brother, like I asked, he wouldn't be going to Horizon." My mother yells angrily.  
  
"What about his drug problem?" Jonathan inquires, being a complete smart-ass.  
  
"I don't need Jonathan to take care of me mom." I declare, although I didn't think anyone was really listening.  
  
"Whether or not there was a drug problem, you should've watched out for him … locked him in the house, something. Learn how to say no Jonathan. And Jasper … please … don't do anything stupid." She finishes as she stops the car and buries her face in her hands for a second. "Okay. Let's go." Mother commands us in a cheerful tone, in contrast to the bitchy mood she had been in moments earlier.  
  
That's how you know you can't trust someone … if someone can change faces that quickly, then you shouldn't trust them, thus why I hate my mom. Don't get me wrong, she's cool or whatever, but I hate having her around. She knows that if there hadn't been complaints, and if I hadn't almost killed that guy, that she wouldn't give a shit what I was doing. Half of the time, she was right along with me doing it too.  
  
~Carmen~  
  
"They're waiting out there for you." I short, black girl with braids tells me.  
  
"Okay." I whisper, as I put aside my things and follow her outside. Maybe I'm not the only person here that's not white after all.  
  
"I'm Kat." She remarks with a smile.  
  
"Dawn." I answer shortly. "Are you the one who's suppose to be showing me around?" I ask, hoping that she'll say yes. I can't handle being around another one of them again.  
  
"Nope, sorry. Scott is, but don't worry, he's really cool. You'll like him." She explains as we walk up to a tall girl with blonde hair.  
  
"Is that Scott?" I ask her as she nods.  
  
"Yep. Don't worry. You aren't the only newbie here. A guy named …well … a new guy just arrived."  
  
"Hey Scott. This is Dawn." Kat introduces us. "And …" She begins, looking at the 'new guy.'  
  
"Oh. Jasper." He says absent-mindedly.  
  
Oh. This is going to be great fun. Who knows how long I'll be with them. And that Sophie took my pepper spray. Damn her. I know they did this on purpose too, like a couple of hours is going to make me forget everything that happened three years ago.  
  
~Jasper~  
  
"Dude, why didn't you tell me that you were here? I knew you went away, but you didn't tell anyone where you went."  
  
"Well, you found me anyway." Scott replies as Dawn walks behind us.  
  
"Why are you so quiet over there?" I ask Dawn, who has been studying her shoes for the last hour. She shrugs. "Are you going to talk to us at all?"  
  
"Not if you don't want me to say something that'll hurt your little feelings." I declares, bitterly.  
  
"There's no need to get bitchy about-"  
  
"Look you little-" Dawn begins, as fire burns in her eyes. Scott interrupts.  
  
"Stop fighting."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do. Is this tour thing over with yet?" She inquires, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
~Scott~  
  
"No, it isn't." I tell Dawn as she sighs loudly and mumbles something.  
  
We continue the tour, Jasper and I reminiscing the whole time. I think that he is too scared to talk to Dawn again, and I'm happy about that because I didn't want to listen to them argue again.  
  
"Could you guys be more superficial?" Dawn questions us, out-of-the- blue. "I mean, come on. Out of all the things you could talk about-"  
  
Jasper cuts her off. "Dude, we're reminiscing. Chill"  
  
"Dude, don't tell me to chill. I've listened to you bull shit for at least an hour and a half and frankly, I'm sick of it." She explains as she starts walking away in the other direction.  
  
"Wait. You don't even know the way back!" I call after her.  
  
"So. It's better to get lost than to spend another minute around you guys. You're so disgusting."  
  
"How can you say that? You don't even know us." I mutter, trying to control my anger.  
  
"I know all about you. You're probably here because daddy didn't buy you the toy you wanted and you threw a fit." Dawn challenges me as she crosses her arms over her stomach.  
  
"That's not how it happened at all!" I yell.  
  
"What happened then, huh rich boy? Huh Scotty?"  
  
"Don't call me that."  
  
"What? Rich boy or Scotty?" She inquires with a slight smile.  
  
"Neither one … let's just go back. It's probably time for dinner." I tell her a she shakes her head.  
  
"Come on!" Jaspers yells.  
  
"You have to come with us. It's almost time for lunch."  
  
"I don't have to if I don't want to."  
  
"Do you want to get lost out here all alone?" I question her as she shrugs again.  
  
"Maybe I can go back home." She says, as an idea starts to form in her head.  
  
"Don't even think about it. They'll be on your ass so fast that you won't even get down the street. Trust me. I tried it once." I explain, trying to ease the tension.  
  
"Like I'll ever trust you." Dawn says with a laugh as she and Jasper follow me to the cafeteria. ~ 


	3. Caught In a Feeling I Just Can’t Hide

Chapter Three: Caught In a Feeling I Just Can't Hide  
  
~Dawn~  
  
"Guys this is Dawn. And Jasper." Scott tells everyone as I sit down at the table, across from him.  
  
"Thank God you're here Kat. I thought I was going to go crazy with them around me all day." I admit to Kat as she gives me a strange look.  
  
"Scott drove you crazy?"  
  
"Yeah. He and Jasper over there use to be best buddies back in good 'ol California." I explain while taking a bite of my turkey sandwich. I scrunch up my nose and chew slowly.  
  
"You don't like the food?" Kat asks as I shake my head. She smiles. "Neither do I. That's one thing about this place that I won't miss."  
  
~Shelby~  
  
"You look tired." I remark after Scott introduced us to the newbies.  
  
"I am." He replies with a sigh as he pushes his food around his plate.  
  
"What happened?" I ask concerned. As long as I've known Scott, I know that he was not one to not eat any meal given to him, even if it was disgusting. He always ate it without a problem.  
  
"Dawn is a real pain in the ass, that's all!" Jasper exclaims as everyone stops eating and looks up at him. Dawn returns to the table with napkins and gives all of us evil looks.  
  
"Thanks for talking about me behind my back. It's useful in court." She replies, challenging Jasper. (A/N: I got that one from the movie "Life as a House")  
  
"Thanks for jumping in our conversation."  
  
"It's east to-" Dawn begins, but Scott cuts her off.  
  
"Could you two stop fighting for a millisecond? I've had to put up with you shit all day. The least you could do is shut up for a few minutes."  
  
"Did I ask you to get fucking PMS with me?" Dawn inquires as she moves to another table. Kat looks at all of us, apologizes and follows her.  
  
"See what I had to put up with for two hours? She seriously has an attitude problem." Scott mumbles as I place my hand on top of his.  
  
"You know when you came here, you weren't exactly Barney, the purple dinosaur, himself." Augie jokes as I roll my eyes. Juliet was going to say something. I could just feel it.  
  
"Well, I for one don't think it's fair to place your pain and troubles upon other people." Juliet adds a little too cheerfully, as Augie turns around, apparently looking at the new girl.  
  
"Thank you Mother Theresa." Daisy exclaims sarcastically.  
  
"Personally, I think Dawn is a major bitch." Jasper remarks as he takes a bite of his sandwich, which was slowly disappearing.  
  
"Why are you guys ganging up on her like that?" Augie inquires, finally looking away from Dawn.  
  
"Yeah. That's so mean." Juliet declares, giving Augie another smile. She was such a phony. I'm surprised that Augie hadn't already seen it yet.  
  
"You didn't have to deal with her for half the day." Jasper explains as I glance back at his plate which was completely bare. I hadn't known him long, but already he and Scott had something in common. Food.  
  
"Well, I'm going to see what's up with her." Augie announces as if anyone cares. "You comin' Jules?" He asks as she shakes her head.  
  
"I think I'll stay here."  
  
Why Juliet decided to sit with us, instead of going with her boyfriend Augie to sit with Kat and Dawn, I don't know. I sure wish she had wanted to go with him. Just her perky little grin was giving me a migraine.  
  
~Augie~  
  
"Hey guys," I say to Dawn and Kat who stopped their conversation and looked up at me. "Sorry about what happened back there."  
  
"It's been happening all day. No biggie." Dawn retorts. She didn't give me a warm welcome, not like I expected one, but she wasn't giving me and evil look either.  
  
"So, I guess you hate it here already then." I state, trying to start conversation. So far, this girl wasn't as bad as Jasper and Scott said she was.  
  
"Actually, I hated it before I got here. Jasper just proved that I don't belong here." Dawn explains bitterly.  
  
"It really isn't bad at all once you get use to it. Think of it as a second home." Kat adds, trying to make Dawn feel better.  
  
"A second home? Don't need one." She tells us as things get quiet again. "How long have you been here?" Dawn asks, looking at Kat.  
  
"A year and half, maybe longer."  
  
"Figures. What about you Augie, do you like it here?" She questions me as I nod.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So they've brainwashed you too in other words." Dawn mumbles, cracking a smile.  
  
"Where'd you come from?" I ask, suddenly wanting to know more about her.  
  
"What do you mean … where I was born, where I lived, what?"  
  
"Whatever you want to tell." I respond as she rolls her eyes jokingly.  
  
"Well, I was born in Louisiana and lived there for a while, then we moved west to Nevada to be with my father's mom. After she passed away, we moved to California for a couple years, and for the last five years I've been in Texas. There's my life story." Dawn explains with a yawn.  
  
"Do you mind me asking why you moved so much?" Kat wants to know.  
  
"My father couldn't get a job that paid enough for us because there were basically a bunch of jackasses running every place around us. I don't think we were wanted anyway, so they did whatever they could to make sure that we couldn't stay. I guess we were a threat." She answers with a faraway look as she completely avoids looking at me or Kat. "So, how long until a girl can get out of here?" Dawn inquires, changing the subject.  
  
"Depends on their situation and how they change."  
  
"So, I'll never get out of here in other words."~~ 


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: So Many Things Have Happened, To Many Times  
  
~Jasper~  
  
"Dude. Scott. She's totally hot." I voice to Scott after Shelby leaves. Sure she hot, but I was kind of tired of having her around. Scott has done better.  
  
"But I thought you hated her, you did say she was a bitch." Scott protests. I answer without missing beat.  
  
"She is, but I still want her. She's a challenge and life would be a drag if there weren't any challenges." I explain as Augie walks up to us.  
  
"Yeah. Right. She'd bite your hand off if your tried to touch her."  
  
"We'll see." I answer, sensing another bet coming on.  
  
"You guys still talkin' about Dawn?" Augie asks with a smirk.  
  
"Yeah." Scott begins. "Jasper has a crush on her."  
  
"And?" I question him defensively.  
  
"And you don't stand a chance. She hates all of us already."  
  
"Not me. Or Kat." Augie interrupts. "Once you talk to her and get to know her, Dawn's really cool." He declares.  
  
"She talked to you?" I inquire, despite the fact that I was trying to play it cool.  
  
"We just clicked, you know?"  
  
Three Days Later  
  
~Katherine~  
  
"Wake up girl."  
  
"What?" I ask tiredly.  
  
"Aren't you guys suppose to get up early around here?" Dawn inquires as open my eyes.  
  
"Yeah, but not this early." I told her between yawns.  
  
"Come on. Don't be a party pooper." Dawn jokes as I resist the urge to slap her. She ruined a perfect dream for me.  
  
"Are you excited to be here all of a sudden? I'm shocked." I answer as I slowly get out of my bed.  
  
"No. I'm not. I just don't want to stay here. I want to see other people."  
  
"Oh. So you wanna see Augie again." I tease.  
  
"Maybe. He's really cool." Dawn admits with a smile. Juliet walks up to us.  
  
"Hi Dawn." She says politely as Dawn rolls her eyes.  
  
Dawn leaves the room and goes into the bathroom. She comes back out and lays out a red lunchroom tank and black capris. She starts to look for her sneakers. Dawn comes across a picture of her family and gets teary- eyed.  
  
"Is that your family?" Juliet asks Dawn as she nods.  
  
"Yeah." Dawn answers in a detached whisper.  
  
"I wanna see." I interrupt, sitting down next to Dawn.  
  
"Aww. Your family is so cute." Juliet comments Dawn, who still looks like she's in a daze.  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"That's my brother, Adam, and his finace Kelly, my mom, dad, and ME- me." Dawn answers still looking sad.  
  
"Are you going to make it to their wedding?" Juliet questions Dawn.  
  
"No. There wasn't a wedding." Dawn answered, as the painful memories came back. She tucked the picture back into her drawer and closed it. " Isn't it time for breakfast?" Dawn asked, changing the subject.  
  
~Daisy~  
  
"How'd it go with your parents?" Shelby asked Ezra as I came over and sat down.  
  
"It went."  
  
"Is that all you have to say?" I inquired, growing a little jealous. Although his parents weren't together, Ezra had both of his parents and he was just so nonchalant about it. Come to think of it, I use to be that same way.  
  
"Do you want details?" I nodded. "Well, it turns out that my parents aren't getting a divorce because things aren't working out."  
  
"What do you mean?" Shelby questioned him, growing interested.  
  
"It turns out that my mom was having an affair with the delivery man."  
  
"The delivery man." Shelby responded in disbelief.  
  
"How classy." I joked. Parents were even more clueless than their kids. And they call us "Generation X."  
  
"That's not the worst of it." Ezra continued. "She's pregnant with his child so they're going to get married."  
  
"The plot thickens." I added. Ezra stopped eating and looked at me.  
  
"It's not funny." He complained.  
  
"I never said it was."  
  
"Lighten up Freidkin." Shelby remarked as Ezra looked from me to her, took his tray, and left.  
  
"I guess we hit a nerve." I commented to Shelby.  
  
"I guess so." I mumbled as Ezra came back and sat down quietly. I stopped the urge to say something else. Who else would storm off and come back five seconds later? That's why I love him.  
  
Kat, Augie, Scott, Juliet, and Jasper came to sit down with as, while Dawn reluctantly joined us. "Three's company, but eight's a crowd." I muttered as Shelby laughed. Dawn glared at us and left as Kat, Augie, and of course Juliet, followed.  
  
"You know we have a game today." Shelby told us, pretending like that little scene didn't even happen.  
  
"Oh goody. Another reason for us to get all nice and sweaty." I began. "I bet it's because of the new girl. We haven't had a game in a couple of weeks."  
  
"Well, it is long over-due." Scott responded. "How do you like Dawn?"  
  
"She's got major issues, like we all do, but something's not right about her. She freaks me out." Shelby answered while pushing away her tray.  
  
"Whoa. Are we starting to get Juliet tendencies?" Scott asked, with a smile.  
  
"No. This food it just-" I cut her off.  
  
"You don't like her because she doesn't like Scott."  
  
"She's just weird around us. We've all been nice to her, to my amazement, (referring to Daisy), but she only talks to Augie and Kat." Shelby defended herself.  
  
"So in other words, something is wrong with us then." Jasper declared, speaking up for the first time since he sat down.  
  
"What do we all have in common?" Shelby whispered to herself.  
  
"Absolutely nothing," Scott said before I could say it first.  
  
So, as Shelby predicted, we had a 'game.' Flag football to be exact and let me just say that it was quiet amusing. My team . won to my surprise, but that was mostly due to Dawn. She wasn't on my team, but the only teammate she would pass the ball to was Augie. Since Jasper, Shelby, and Ezra were left in the dark, it was pretty clear that she was going to give the ball to Augie.  
  
And she did. Every single time. That pretty much made my job easy. All I had to do was stand behind Augie and pull his flag. I don't know why Peter insisted that we play the game for two hours. Come on. Everyone knew that Dawn was going to keep passing the ball to Augie and I was going to keep pulling his flag.  
  
I got bored doing that after . what, the first three times, but seeing the look of amazement on the other team's face kept me interested. And the arguing. See where I'm getting at? One newbie = drama. Two equals = the 'Real World' times ten. Yep. It got that bad.  
  
AFTER THE GAME  
  
~Dawn~  
  
"What is your fucking problem?" Jasper yelled after me as I continued to walk away from him. "You lost it for us back there." He continued to scream. What a baby. Who gets pissed after a game of flag football? "You're so stupid."  
  
"Don't yell me asshole. It's just a game. Do you actually think I give a shit?" I asked while rolling eyes.  
  
"Well I give a shit. What's wrong with you? Is it really that hard to pass the ball to someone other than Augie?" He shot back.  
  
"Yes. Okay. It's really that hard . what do you want me to apologize?"  
  
"That would nice." Jasper responded.  
  
"No fucking way!" I spat out, as I started to walk faster. At that point I really wanted to get away from that psycho. Augie runs after me.  
  
"What happened back there?"  
  
"Nothing I want to talk about." I answered simply as silence followed. "You know that Jasper kids thinks he's the shit." I continued. "Who does he think he is coming in my face and fucking yelling at me? What the fuck?"  
  
"Dawn. Calm down. You have to see where he's coming from." Augie began as we sat down on a bench. "You did only pass the ball to me, you know?"  
  
"I know what I did, but I don't want to talk about it. If you went through all that I did with people like them you'd understand."  
  
"Explain it to me." Augie demanded.  
  
"Maybe later. I'm emotionally drained for the moment and I don't wanna go and share my sob story just yet." I retorted, wishing that this day would come to an end.  
  
"Are you ever gonna share?" I shrugged in response.  
  
"Maybe. So why are you here?" I asked turning the tables on him.  
  
"I'm emotionally drained and I don't wanna share my sob story yet." Augie mimicked.  
  
"Ha. Ha." I playfully punched his stomach.  
  
(A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed. (Trisha and Tk) It is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions, comments, or things that you want to see happen in the story e-mail me and let me know. Oh, and Chapter Six and seven are really good, so stay tuned. And I should have a new chapter up when I get three more reviews.) 


	5. It's Gonna Be My Finest Hour

Chapter Five: I Can't Help But Feeling I Like  
  
Scott  
"Aww. Looks like you've lost your touch Wolf." I told Jasper as he walked into the bunks looking less than amused.  
"Don't even bring it up man. That Ciji chick totally lost it for us. What a reject. The bad part is that she didn't even feel sorry about it." Jasper rolled his eyes.  
"So you've given up on her already?"  
"Naw. I'd still do her ... it might take a little time." Jasper got quiet for a while. "You know if they'd sent me here when you left I wouldn't be craving a smoke right now. Dude, how can you stand it?"  
"I've got my priorities in order. Shelby's here ... Horizon still looks a lot better than home." I responded.  
"They've got you brainwashed dude. This place better than home ... right. I could be livin' it up with Veronica right now, but I'm here, alone in this half-sized bunk bed. This sucks." Jasper sat up.  
"You and Veronica had a thing?" I wondered, interested.  
"Yeah. I didn't think you'd mind ... I mean you weren't there. And you know how it goes. Outta sight, outta mind." Jasper grinned.  
"Yeah well I didn't expect her to forgive and forget that quickly."  
  
"She didn't. It took her a while to get over the fact that you left her." Jasper pointed at me. "I was there for her. Don't take it personal or anything. Whatever we had is probably over and you've got that blonde chick. What's the big deal?"  
  
"Nothing. I was just asking." I lied. Veronica had been such a big part of my life back then ... my first love. And I screwed it up. NO, Elanie screwed it up. She couldn't even wait for me ... but I found Shelby, and Juliet before her.  
"You know what dude? This scene's gettin' tired. I'm gonna go find that Ciji chick and give her a piece of my mind." Jasper admitted.  
"Ooh. That'll work." Shelby walked into the room rolling her eyes. "She is so not interested. Ciji couldn't hate you more—at least that's what she's telling everyone in our bunk. And you actually think you stand a chance? Ha." Shelby plopped down beside me, stroking my hair. "What are you up to?"  
"Nothing much. Wolf and I were talking, but he's going out. Right?"  
"Yeah. Sure." He took the hint and left without another word.  
  
Ciji  
"I think I might really like Augie." I admitted to Kat. He was the only acceptable guy that I'd met so far and I could clearly see that his background was made up of Natives, like myself. Whitey probably drove him crazy too.  
"Are you serious?" I nodded. "Well, then, you've got competition."  
"Like who?" I wondered.  
"Juliet's been after him since she and Scott broke it off and a lot of other girls like him." Kat told me.  
"Do you like him?"  
"Nope. I use to, but he's so much younger than me. Augie's great but after a while you start to see him as just a brother. Nothing more." She reassured me.  
"It's not like I want to date him or anything-"  
"You're not allowed to." Kat explained.  
"What? How are you suppose to live if you can't have a little love. I mean this stage in our lives is all about finding out who we are." I argued.  
"I totally agree. But, I don't make the rules. When Peter found out about Hank and I..."  
"Hank? You had an unauthorized 'relationship' with someone?" My eyes got wide. Kat seemed so calm and reserved, the way I use to be.  
"Yeah, well ..." Her voice trailed off and she started to giggle.  
"You have got to tell me everything."  
  
Jasper  
I was on a mission ... find out what Ciji's deal was and make her mine—or at least get something outta it. "Hi." A red head and brunette greeted me. I smiled back warmly. Whoa. They were hott. I knew that I knew one of them from somewhere ...  
"Hey."  
  
"Are you new here?" I nodded dumbly.  
"I knew you looked different ... I'm Melissa and this is Samantha."  
"Yeah ... umm..." I racked my brain for something to say. I wasn't use to being sober. And I had nothing. No lines. Nothing.  
"Aren't you going to tell us your name?" Melissa wondered, flipping her brown hair.  
"Jasper Wolf." "What group are you in?"  
"I'm a Cliffhanger."  
"Oh really ..." Melissa smiled and whispered to Samantha, "That's the group Scott's in."  
"Yeah. Scott and I are buddies from way back." I intercepted. My brain was starting to work again. A little.  
  
Samantha "So tell me. Are you half as skilled as Scott is?" Melissa traced her hand up and down the side of Jasper's arm.  
"Nope. Better." Melissa bit her lip as I stood back in the corner waiting impatiently.  
"I'll just have to come by and find out how skilled you are." Melissa leaned in, whispering something in Jasper's ear. I had no idea what it was ... probably something seductive or slutty. That was just her style—and it had gotten her Scott even though I had staked my claim on him a long time ago. I would've had him too if Juliet hadn't come into the picture.  
"So. ahem I'll see you later?" Jasper wondered desperately. And just like that, Melissa had him.  
"Maybe. Maybe not." Melissa lustfully kissed Jasper, spun on her heel, and followed my lead, for once. "He is so hott!" She exclaimed a little too loudly. I looked back to see him grinning.  
"Melissa. You went too far." I rolled my eyes, disgusted. I had told her about getting to attached again and again but she never learned.  
"Samantha. Chill out chicka. He totally fell for it ... he's so hott!" She sighed.  
"See what I mean? You're already going to start building your shrine of him. I can just see it now."  
"As oppose to you who's obsessed with Scott?" Melissa rolled her eyes.  
"I'm not obsessed. I just want back what we had."  
"What you had was a fling. Obviously he had a relationship with Veronica and then turned to nearest girl that would pull down her skirt for him." Melissa responded bluntly.  
"Not even. That wasn't it. Our relationship was about more." I answered, only being able to remember the sexual part of it. But he was the only one I had given myself to that I really cared about. The others were to survive.  
"Look babe. It was all about sex. And that's okay. What do you think I want Jasper for?"  
"You can have anyone on this campus. Why him?" I asked. Her being involved with him could ruin everything.  
"'Cause he's fresh meat. And all the other boys out here ..." She shrugged.  
"Okay. Fair enough. You helped me out with Scott—even though it didn't work. Now I owe you one." I gave in. Maybe her connection to Jasper would turn out to be a good thing.  
  
Shelby  
  
"What are you thinking about?" I asked Scott, tracing my hand along his stomach. After a long make-out session, he seemed really tired, which was unlike him.  
"Nothing."  
  
"Come on Scott. I know something's bothering you. You've been this way ever since Jasper left. What did he say to you?" I wondered, sitting up halfway, letting most of my hair hang over my shoulder, falling into Scott's naked shoulder.  
"There's just some stuff about my past that I thought I'd forgotten, but Jasper just reminds me of everything. It's like I'm back home now." Scott told me.  
"Maybe this isn't a bad thing. Maybe it'll be the ultimate test for you to see how much you've grown or need to grow." I suggested.  
"You just don't understand Shel. I left a lot behind."  
"Like what?" I wondered, lying back down.  
"Just people and other stuff." He shrugged. "I don't know what to do anymore."  
"It's been one day Scott." I told him.  
"I know, but-"  
"But what?" I asked.  
"Never mind. I've got you." Scott gently kissed me. "Nothing else matters. And the make-out session began all over again. And boy was it a good one.  
  
Jasper  
"So, I'm gonna walk in there and ..." My voice trailed off as I heard two girls' laughter.  
"I can't believe you have these pictures of him!" Ciji exclaimed as I walked into the room. This was a good time. She seemed happy. As soon as she saw me, her smiled faded.  
"What the hell do you want?" Ciji asked, seeming less than happy to see me.  
"We need to talk."  
  
"No we don't. I don't know you. I don't want to know you. I hate you. The end. Buh-bye." Ciji waved me off, as Kat remained silent.  
"I want to get to know you. Why do you hate me?" I questioned her.  
"Well, for starters, that cocky grin is a facade. It proves to me that you are truly an arrogant bastard who needs an ass-kicking." Ciji stood up and walked over to me.  
"And, what else?"  
"You came in here because you wanted to get laid. You don't want to talk to me. You don't want to have anything to do with me." Ciji rolled her eyes. "Now tell me I'm wrong."  
"You're right ... well after all this is over ... yeah." I smiled. She slapped me.  
"Asshole. I'm not a slut. We're not sluts." She looked over at Kat. "So don't approach us like we're 50 cent hoes."  
"You bitch. How dare you slap me?!" I yelled, angrily. I saw her hand coming towards me.  
"And I did it again. Now what?"  
"You guys need to just chill, okaY? Jasper leave. Ciji come sit down." I ignored her and pushed Ciji. My mom taught me to never put my hands on a girl, unless she hit me first.  
"Jackass." Ciji threw a punch at me. She missed and I slammed her against the wall.  
"What is wrong with you?"  
  
"Get off me!" She yelled, hitting me in face repeatedly.  
"Ciji! Ciji!" Kat screamed, but no one was listening anymore. I fell to the ground, tripping her up as we continued to wrestle on the floor. Moments later, two strong bodies were pulling us apart.  
"Who started this fight?" Peter demanded to know.  
"You hit a girl?" Juliet wondered in disbelief.  
"I barely touched her."  
"Okay. Jasper, who started the fight?" Sophie chimed in. Question after question kept being thrown at me—at us.  
"I did. I started the fight." I lied. I could tell that at the rate she was going, Ciji needed someone to cover her ass once in a while.  
  
(A/N: So, what did you think? Pretty dramatic, huh? I hope it kept your interest. Make sure to review if you want to read more. Thanks! -NL) 


	6. I’ll be the One to Burn You

Chapter Six: I'll be the One to Burn You  
  
Dawn "Did you think you were going to win something with me by pulling that?" I confronted Jasper, who was a typical white male—pretending to be nice to little minority girls like myself so that he could get a piece of the pie, just to say he "hit that." And then he lied. Lying was like the worst thing to do. EVER. How can you trust people that lie to your face?  
  
"No, I thought I was saving your ass from extra chores, but with your bitchy attitude, you'll have extra clean up in say ... oh—two days. Tops." He responded, without missing a beat.  
  
"You are such a liar. And I hate liars. I hate them and I hate you, so stay out of my life! Stop pretending like we're friends and I like you." I added.  
  
"Friends? How could I stand to be around someone who has serious anger issues and would kill me the moment they got their hands on a weapon? Think about it." Jasper began. "And look what you did to my face. You should be apologizing for that."  
  
"Did I do that? Ooops. I'm sorry." I uttered, sarcastically, not trying to hide the smile on my face. "If you weren't such a little sissy, you could've taken it like a man, but I'm afraid that that might involve too much testosterone, which you so don't have."  
  
"Yeah, you've got enough for the both of us." Jasper spat back, as I flicked him off. I didn't have all day to argue with someone who just didn't get it.  
  
Katherine  
  
"Dawn, I don't know if you know this, but everyone is getting really fed up with you." I told her straight-forwardly, which was unlike me. I guess you could say that she was rubbing off on me. Augie had opted not to sit with us today, and it was just us and Minku aka Mini.  
  
"And who is everyone exactly?" Dawn shot back. "You? Juliette? Scott? I don't care what they say or think because they're nothing to me. If anyone has beef with me, let them be the man and tell me to my face, and not talk to you about it." She finished, taking a bite of her baked potato.  
  
"But that's just it. They don't know how to approach you or what to say to you. You're like a time-bomb. Everyone here is scared to talk to you. And I'm beginning to think that you hate almost everyone, don't you?"  
  
"Not Mini, Augie, or even you ... though you're working my nerves." Dawn joked, finishing the rest of her food.  
  
"Do you hate white people, don't you?"  
  
"White people, racists, people devoid of melanin ... I guess so." She admitted, as if it weren't a big deal.  
  
"That's your reason?" I shook my head in disbelief. "Do you know that my family is white? I was adopted when I was ten years old?"  
  
"And? The entire continent is run by old racist white men that do whatever they can to destroy Black, Native American, and Latino communities. They've even inflicted enough Asians ... making them think that they are white. Which makes me wonder, what box do you check?"  
  
"I know who I am." I answered simply. "But, I can't stand to be around someone who could be so much better, but is drowning in their hate."  
  
"So, I'm just making it up then?"  
  
"No." Mini joined in. "Some of it is true, but ... hate causes more hate."  
  
"And we're not about that here." I added, as Mini and I left the table simultaneously.  
  
Jasper  
  
"Today we're doing an Adventure-Bound Scavenger Hunt. There will be five teams of ten. We'll draw names to find out who is with who." Peter explained. I stole a glance at Dawn, who wasn't surrounded by her usual crowd. Katherine and Augie. I heard that Katherine had blasted her out a couple of hours ago, but I couldn't believe it.  
  
"Jasper ... you're with Dawn." Sophie informed me as Scott hid a smile. This was going to be an adventure.  
  
"Don't kill each other." He added.  
  
"We won't." I answered, walking over to her. "So, you ready?" I asked, doing the gentlemanly thing and carrying our bag of survival gear.  
  
"Whatever." Dawn headed down the path opposite of everyone else. I didn't complain, but followed her because she never listened to anyone else anyway.  
  
"You think you've won some sort of prize, don't you?" She asked, after we had been walking for over an hour.  
  
"No, I'm stuck with you." I joked as she flicked me off. "You must be really into that sort of thing but--" I stopped talking as Dawn knocked me up against a tree.  
  
"Just because you're carrying our stuff, doesn't mean shit. You're worth nothing to me. You're gonna follow my lead." She ran off as I hurried to keep up.  
  
"I think we're lost." I commented after another hour had passed.  
  
"No we aren't."  
  
"We haven't found anything." I explained, dropping the bags. "I need a break."  
  
"You are such a baby. Give me the compass." She demanded, as I took a water break. "We're just west instead of east, that's all."  
  
"Oh, that's all." I chuckled. "I hope you learned wilderness skills on your reservation, because otherwise, we're lost and it's all your fault." Dawn scowled at me, kicking at a rock. I guess I hit a nerve. Oh well. They would come looking for us soon ... but then a thought hit me. This was a two day thing ... we could be lost here for a very long time ....  
  
(A/N: Hey, what do you say? Review and let me know, k? NL)


	7. Why'd You Have to Go

Chapter Seven: Why'd You Have to Go and Pick Me?

Shelby

"This couldn't be more perfect." I admitted to Scott, while holding onto him as we walked down a bushy path. Light shone through the trees and the new morning had come. It was ... just right.

"Do you think they did this on purpose?" Scott wondered looking down at me.

"I don't know ... I thought they just drew names out of a hat. Ideally, this is not the best situation." I began. "I mean, here we are two ... hormonal teenagers completely in love and all alone." I sighed. "What was Peter thinking?" I joked.

"He trusts us." Scott answered. "And if we were gonna do something, we would've already." I looked down, avoiding his glance as he pulled me in for a hug. That was exactly the opposite of what I was hoping he'd say. I loved Scott and I wanted to express my feelings for him in every way. It just felt weird that the only thing we had done was kissed ... and it had been limited kissing.

"You're right." I admitted, kissing him softly. Suddenly, the birds in the trees and the sky didn't seem so bright anymore. Our relationship was getting more routine and ... limited. I hated it. If I had my say, Scott and I would be running off together. Now. Right now. We would even get hitched if he wanted to ... but I wanted more and I didn't want to make him feel pressured into anything ...

Augie

"I can't believe what Dawn said to me. She honestly hates all white people." Katherine told me.

"I'm not surprised." I answered as we reached an area with a lot of rocks with damp grass. "A stream is near." I added.

"Don't you think it's terrible? How can anyone hate someone based on their outward appearance ... something they have absolutely no control over!" Katherine exclaimed, trying to get me to agree with her. "I'm so thankful for my parents because my 'biological' parents didn't care about me. I would've been living on the streets or in a gang if it wasn't for them." She admitted graciously as I continued down the trail. We had made excellent progress and then, we only had five more clues to find.

"Haven't you ever experienced prejudice? I know lots of people that hate me because I'm Mexican and probably hate you too."

"Yeah." She paused. "But that's different. I mean she's here with us ... her family doesn't seem to be like that. I just don't understand it. It's like ... she could've easily turned out to have blonde hair and green eyes, just like I have blue eyes and you could've turned out looking different too. I mean everyone's so mixed up in this country ... it's like you're hating yourself when you're racist."

"Uh-huh." I nodded, hoping that she would stop soon. I was more interested in this trail than with anything she had to say. "Do you see that?" Katherine nodded.

"That must be the next clue." She stated, equally as excited as I was.

"I'll go down and get it and you wait." Katherine demanded before I could protest. True. I had retrieved most of the other clues, so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Katherine climbed down the side of a mountain-like area as small pebbles tumbled from under her feet. I began to worry, realizing just how dangerous this was and how much trouble she was having. "Do you need any help?!" I called out, but she just put her hand up, steadied herself and kept going. The clue-box was near the end of the brook and she was almost there.

"Whoo! I've got it!" Katherine waved the clue back at me as I smiled and put down my pack. I needed a water break. The sun was pounding down on us, unusually warm. The water felt good going down my throat as every part of me began to relax. I sat down on a tall rock, running a little water over my head. I looked down to see where Katherine was. She should've been halfway up here by now, but I didn't hear any sounds of her feet moving or ... anything.

"Kathy are you ..." My voice trailed off as I noticed that she wasn't anywhere to be found. Her pack was at the edge of the stream, but I didn't see her. Immediately, I started rushing down the mountain, thinking the worst had happened. All I knew was that she had disappeared.

Jasper

"Would you shut up and trust me?" I asked Dawn who had got her ankle stuck under a tree root and sprained it. She was about the least graceful person I knew in the woods ... and we were still lost.

"Why should I? You know, this is like the worst, possible situation." She admitted, pouting.

"Then I'll just leave you. I'll go back to Horizon and pretend like I never heard of you before." I gave in, sitting beside her.

"I know what you're thinking. Just because my stupid ankle hurts doesn't mean I won't fight back ... Don't even think about it!"

"Do I give off the vibe of some type of perverted predator? I'm just trying to help." I handed her a long tree branch, which I had found on the ground, and wrapped a piece of material around her ankle.

"Please ... don't try to help me. I..." Dawn's voice trailed off as she passed out in my arms.

"Dawn, Dawn!" I yelled as her frail body lay in my arms. This was not what I had planned to happen at all ... this was so much worse.

(A/N: Not much ...just a transition chapter with more conflicts to be explored. Tell me what you think and who you want to hear about in the next chapter!! And, of course, REVIEW!! Thanks to veruca and spikesluvs13 for reviewing this year!! LolNL)


	8. Fear

Chapter Eight: Fear

**Jasper**

"Dawn … Dawn!" I yelled again, but she was out of it. Looking at the compass and the darkening sky, I knew it would be a miracle for both of us to get out of here. And even though the idea of getting out and just saving myself looked really appealing, I decided against it.

Sprinkling a little water over Dawn's face, I picked her up, deciding only to take food portions and water with us—not that she was heavy or anything—it was just that I knew this pack plus Dawn wasn't going to work out.

**Augie**

"Kathy!" I yelled, dropping the backpack and rushing down the mountain. I hoped that it wasn't too late. As I reached the edge of the mountain, I realized that she was already gone. The only thing that I could see was a river, a long streaming one. "Kat!" I screamed again, pulling off my shirt. It was obvious. She was in the water. There was no other place that she could be.

**Scott**

As I continued to kiss Shelby, I could sense something was different. Maybe I shouldn't have made that last comment about _not _having sex. I still wasn't ready. I thought I had already proven my love to Shelby by coming back at Morp and not running away like I felt like doing.

"What's wrong?" I asked as Shelby suddenly pulled away, playing with the rocks underneath us.

"Nothing. I'm just tired." She lied, resting her head on my shoulder.

"But two seconds ago you were fine. What is this Shelby?" I wondered, getting a little upset.

"Nothing. Would you chill out? We're going to have another day and a half to figure this thing out. It's getting dark and I'm tired of this wilderness garbage." She grumbled back, turning her back to me and using the pack as a pillow.

"Fine. You stay here, but I want to do some more exploring." I took a canteen, flashlight, and compass with me. Really, I just wanted to get away from Shelby at that moment. I didn't like how she'd changed suddenly.

**Katherine**

"Au. Augie!" I struggled to scream, but the water kept pulling me under. I couldn't believe that my worst nightmare was coming true before my eyes. I was going to die like my sister—the sister I'd killed.

"Kat! Kat! Hold on." Augie swan further and further into the water, pulling a broken tree branch along with him. "Grab onto this." He held it out, but we were at least four feet away from one another.

"I can't. I can't hold on!" I panicked, thinking about how my sister must have felt at this moment. "Please!" I yelled, flashbacking to how I tried to save her, but I was too late. Just like how Augie was going to be too late. Suddenly, I went under the water. Not caring about what would happen or even trying to fight, I let myself be pulled down by the dark blue waves.

It was almost eerie how calm and quiet everything was under the water. I could barely hear Augie anymore. He seemed further and further away … his voice muffled by the surface. It didn't matter anymore. I was starting to get used to being down here. I _wanted _this somehow. It would ease me of all the guilt I'd held onto. It would be justice for my sister in a way … she was so—

"Kat!" I heard Augie's voice clearly now as I began to snap out of it. I was no longer entrapped by the deathly calm of the water. I wanted to help him and get back, but I was paralyzed by the river. I could barely think anymore …

**Jasper**

"Dawn. Come on." I begged as I ran more water over her face, her perfect face. If only she was this sweet in real life. "Snap out of it!" I yelled to myself, vaguely remembering something that Peter had told me about Dawn … her needing to take some sort of something to protect her immune system out here or something … I wasn't really sure. Yet, something was telling me to go back. So I did.

Desperately searching through the pack, I finally stumbled upon a small bottle of pills. These were definitely hers. How would I get her to swallow these? Praying that this wouldn't kill her, I sat Dawn up, placed a pill on her tongue and added water little by little. It would go down eventually, wouldn't it?

Nothing seemed to be happening, so I tried talking to her, apologizing mostly. Anything that I thought would help her to come to. I fell asleep talking and praying over her.

**Dawn**

"What the hell?" I opened my eyes to see that Jasper was sleeping with his arms around me. What had happened? "Get off perv!" I yelled, shoving Jasper until he woke up.

"Dawn. You're okay." He grabbed my face as if to give me some intimate kiss or something.

"Yeah and why are you touching me?" I rolled my eyes as his grin faded and I tried to stand. "Oh." I fell back down, realizing that the swelling of my ankle had only gotten worse. Great. I'd had a sprained ankle before, but never in the middle of nowhere when I had no idea of where I was going.

"Look. You passed out and I was the one that saved you."

"Well, if you had just let me hold onto the pack, asshole, then I would've been fine." I tried to stand up again, this time succeeding.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you." I spat out, wondering what really happened. Why was he cradling me like that? All kinds of thoughts began running through my mind about what he _could've _done to me last night and I just couldn't take it. I couldn't.

"Wait up! I'm not going to let you—Ahh!" Jasper screamed as I turned around to see that a snake had gotten him.

"Don't move." I ordered, picking up both a stick and a rock. With care, I used the stick to move the snake away before crushing it with the rock a couple of times to make sure that it was dead. Good.

"Ahh!" Jasper gasped, reminding me that he was still there. "Help."

Against everything that had happened with us in the past, I did help. "It was a rattlesnake."

"What? You mean I'm poisoned?" Jasper looked back at his leg, already getting weak.

"Yeah. Just hold still." I pulled out an army knife from the pack, taking pleasure in piercing his skin, before starting to suck the poison out of his leg. I didn't really have a choice did I? Whether I hated him or not, it had to be done.

**Katherine**

"I thought you were a goner." Augie sighed, relieved as I sat up, coughing.

"I thought I was too. Next time there's a body of water near, you handle it." I joked, feeling every inch of my body ache in pain.

"Yeah, well there's good news." Augie smiled. "I know where the next clue will be."

"You were figuring out the puzzle while I was drowning?" I joked as he shook his head.

"I figured it out as soon as I opened it—before I realized that you were in the water.

**Jasper**

"Thanks." I whispered as Dawn sloshed more water down my throat. This girl did not let up. She had absolutely no sympathy at all. "Could you ease up a little?"

"You want to do this yourself?" Dawn put the cap on the canteen and set it beside me and pouted "I want to know what the hell happened last night."

"You passed out and I saved your ass." I shrugged with a sigh. The last thing I wanted to talk about was anything heavy like me saving her life.

"Why was I in your arms? Did you--" Dawn stopped, looking away as her voice broke. "Did you try anything?"

"Yeah right. Like what?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"Don't fuck with me." Dawn grabbed the front of my shirt with tears in her eyes.

"No, of course not. I just thought that my body heat would help you somehow. I never did anything to you I swear."

"Good." She let go of me roughly, sniffing and quickly wiping the tears from her eyes.

"What's up with you?"

"Nothing. Look, this dumb ass scavenger hunt is almost over--"

"But I want to know why you're like this. Why are you so hot and cold?" I asked.

"You the fuck are you to ask me shit like that? I don't owe your pathetic ass anything."

"Is that the best you can come up with? Two seconds ago, you were sitting over there crying like a baby and now you're cursing me out. You're such a big girl." I snapped as Dawn pushed me further into the tree I was leaning on.

"Don't push me." I warned her as Dawn pushed me again.

"Ahh!" I yelled, pushing her to the ground as we tumbled and rolled her punching and trying to kick me with her good leg.

"Get the hell off!" She yelled as I tried to release myself from her grip.

"Dawn. Dawn!" I yelled as she kept yelling obscenities to me … about how she was going to kill me, castrate me, … anything to get me off. But quickly, I watched her rage soften as her eyes began to tear up. I loosened my grip and suddenly, she was on top. "Dawn." I muttered, leaning in as our lips brushed so briefly that I thought I'd imagined it.

She looked down at me seriously, yet she hadn't moved. I hungrily kissed her again and again as he continued rolling across the dirt on the ground.

"I hate you!" Dawn mumbled, yet she didn't pull away. Our kisses got deeper and deeper as she ripped my shirt open until—

"Are you guys okay? I heard screaming." Scott wondered as Dawn pulled herself off of me, pressing my face into the ground and spitting on me before taking five minutes to stand.

"Where are you going?" I wondered as Dawn hobbled away, flicking me off in the distance.

"Damn. Did I interrupt something?" Scott helped me to my feet as my gaze followed Dawn. All I could think about was how intense those last few moments meant. And I didn't know if I was supposed to still hate her or what.

"I don't even know what the hell just happened dude."

(A/N: It's been over a year, I know but I got so caught up in my "Degrassi" stories—which are confusing me so much right now—and when I picked up something I'd printed out on this story, I fell in love with the idea all over again and instantly remembered where I was going with it. So review! –NL)


	9. Tell it to My Heart

Chapter Nine: Tell it to My Heart

**Scott**

"What did you see?" Jasper asked with while looking past where I was standing and where Dawn disappeared into the distance.

"You and Dawn … naw. It couldn't've happened." I shook my head in disbelief. Jasper looked up at me seriously. "It did."

"Dude, I don't know what the hell is going on."

"You kissed her! So you still think you can get her?" I wondered interested. Anything that would distract me from Shelby's hot and coldness sounded good right now.

"Can I get her?" Jasper paused, thinking pensively. "Hell yeah." He smiled.

"Even with that gash on your leg?"

"That'll make it even easier."

**Juliet **

"So, how was the scavenger hunt Shelby? You and Scott got some quiet time finally?" I smiled, hinting that something happened. I know it did.

"What's it to you?"

"Don't be grumpy." Katherine rushed to my rescue.

"I don't want to talk about it." Shelby sighed.

"So you did have sex with him? If Peter finds out--" Daisy gave me a threatening look that caused me to lose track of what I was saying.

"Shove it princess." She finished as Shelby rushed off to talk to Daisy.

"I don't get why they're always mean to me." I expressed to Katherine, who was always the woman in the middle.

"You did try to steal Scott from her Juliet. Remember?"

"That was a while ago. I just …" My smile faded, but I quickly replaced it. A smile on the face equaled a smile in the heart, or so I was always told. I was actually feeling better my smiling … but that gnawing feeling was still there.

**Daisy**

"I know you don't want to spill the details to those losers back there, but tell me. What happened Shelby?"

"Nothing."

"What?" I sat in disbelief, feeling for my tarot cards in the backpack and pulling them out quickly. If she wasn't going to give me answers voluntarily, I would find them out anyway.

"Nothing happened Daisy." She repeated.

"But it could have?"

"Yeah … I guess, but I didn't … want it to." Shelby closed her eyes suddenly. "Everything was going fine and right. I loved being with Scott. But he wanted to … and I couldn't." A tear quickly escaped her eye. "I never told him the whole story … I haven't told anyone and he hates when people lie to him Daisy."

I looked down at the cards. Uh-oh. There was going to be a big blow-out between two people in our group and the way it was looking ScottandShelby would be over … soon.

"But when he touched me like that …" Shelby began again. "I- I was reminded and I couldn't. It's spoiled for me forever. I would feel like I was that little confused girl back on the streets. But I can't let this ruin us. I'll fix it." Shelby grabbed some lip gloss and applied the red shade carefully before going to find Scott. "I'll fix it." She repeated.

A few days later

**Dawn**

"What a nice piece of ass." One of the guys from Horizon whistled grabbing my butt.

"Don't touch me." I threatened as he followed me and did it again, this time more forcefully. I closed my eyes. Not now. I couldn't deal with this now.

"What are you gonna do about it sweetheart?"

"Hey! You messing with my girl?" Jasper ran up, punching the eye in the jaw as he fell onto the ground.

"Dude. I was just messing around." He cowered as Jasper kicked him before letting him run off.

"You cool?" I pursed my lips in order not to smile at the 'gentlemanly' gesture, though I was far from the damsel in distress.

"I don't need anyone to protect me." I explained.

"But if I touched your ass you would've killed me." Jasper joked as I looked away. I didn't know how true that statement was anymore. I was so confused about him. I hated him, but was beginning to like him some.

"Yeah and you have two seconds to leave me alone before I kick your ass."

"Normally, I would but … there's a dance and--"

"You can't be serious." I chuckled. "Do you know who you're talking to? I hate you Jasper."

"Then why'd you kiss me?"

"A dare." I looked away as I lied. Lying was not something I was used to doing or any good at. "And you had no right to kiss me back."

"What?" Jasper almost yelled walking towards me as I backed away. "You know you're really …" He stopped talking, staring at me intensely. I knew what was going to happen and I tried to stop it, but it was too late.

"Hmm." I heard myself moan as I closed my eyes. I opened them, disappointed to see who was in front of me. Jasper. There was no way that something that passionate and _real _could come from a jackass like him. "You've had your fun. Leave me alone now okay?"

"Dawn, what about--"

"I have a date!" I lied. I didn't, but I was about to squash this thing with Jasper right now. I wasn't going to fall to pieces and repeat my past. I wasn't going to fall for anyone.

"Have you seen Scott?" Shelby wondered, all dolled up like she had been since we'd gotten back from the trip.

"Problems?" I asked, a plan formulating in my head. "If you're looking for a date to the dance, Jasper's desperate." I joked with a chuckle. As I walked further and further from Shelby, a real and workable plan began to churn in my head. Scott. He was the key.

(A/N: I was inspired so I just wrote this! I'm updating Fool of Me today and I'll try to do something with Double Standard or La Tortura. Make sure to update. This is my most popular non-Degrassi fic! Much love. –NL)

Who do you want to hear about? I could do more with Ezra's situation and make up more drama. Speak your mind! I need some ideas about the other characters too ... Katherine, Daisy, David, Ezra, Augie, and Juliet


	10. And Pick Me?

**THIS IS JUST A PREVIEW**

Chapter: And Pick Me?

Scott

"I have a proposition for you." Dawn said, sitting down beside me.

'You know who you're talking to?" I wondered, confused as to how she found my secret spot that only Shelby knew about/

"So … Jasper might be asking Shel--"

"What?"

"Now, don't get mad, get even. If you really want to piss both of them off, go with me." Without waiting for my response, Dawn slid a ticket into my back pocket, rushing off happily. Weird. I thought she hared me. As I looked down at the ticket, I thought about how much fun the dance would be … and how much it would suck to be the only one _not _there. I just couldn't believe that Jasper was going behind my back with Shelby and all. But why wouldn't he? He'd already taken Veronica away from me.

Dawn

"Dawn, dance?" Jasper asked again, touching my bare-waist.

'Hell, no."

"Why not?" He wondered staring at me intently.

"I'm going with someone else" I smiled slyly. Dealing with white people had definitely helped me learn how they operated—through manipulation.

"Yeah right. Who would put up with your shit?" Jasper asked, kissing me roughly.

"Don't do that?" I forced myself not to smile and scowled instead. "You're lucky no one's around or--"

"Or what?" He challenged.

(a/n: This isn't even half of what I wanted to put up, but I didn't have time to write it today. This is a preview instead. For this chapter, you should expect …

-The BIG Dance Scene

-Ezra drama

-Someone's family comes to Horizon

-Could it be the end of Scott and Shelby … parting as a two week separation sends all Horizon kids home—oh the drama!

Much love! –NL)

Can you guess whose point of views each of these come from?

"So, if I promise that we … you know … you'll leave me alone?" She wondered as his lips met hers eagerly. She was finally giving into what he wanted and he didn't have to know about her past, about all the secrets that she had been keeping. "This is it." She muttered, kissing him back passionately. After all the drama they had been through tonight, she still couldn't hide that she cared. -

"Why are you trying to take me away from the only place that's ever mattered? Why when … when I finally belong?" -

"You're coming home with us." My ex-best friend told me as I hopped into the car, pouting. My own family couldn't stand the sight of me and after what happened last night, I couldn't blame them. But going back home would be leaving one set of problems and exchanging for something oh so much worse. -


End file.
